Belonging
 

People naturally tend to associate themselves with certain factions or groups, pop/rock/folk music for example. Then at a wider level we group ourselves by country, in football we get behind our team, England, Scotland, Ireland etc (This is an English person speaking so sorry if I don't include your team ). Then for athletics we get behind Great Britain so the boarders that are present in football are loosened and we activley support Scotish and Irish athletes because it benifits us in some way. This can then be broardened into the political spectrum as has been clear in the past few years and throughout the Cold War especially where pepole are on one side or the other based on what country they were born in. People wil then put a higher value on the death of a fellow countryman or someone on 'your side' than dozens of deaths to 'them' because we don't feel connected to them in any way. This can then exand to continents and probably hemisphears, certainly western vs eastern culture.

I was wondering where the line should be drawn, we put less worth on the life of a chimp to a human life and even less to a rabbit or a rat, should we extend even further our notion of group belonging to these animals? So it can be us in the mamals group vs the fish? If we thought that way the death of a chimp would be just as important as the death of a human no matter what country the human or chimp was from. We could even go further than just mamals, how about vertebrates? Us vs the insects and jellyfish!

Will the way we think about groupings and belongingess be one of the major obsticles in our future, possibly causing WWIII and will changing our way of thinking prevent this? How far do you think we'll have to go to progress as a consious species or do you think the way things are at the moment to be a good thing promoting progress in a non dangerous way?

i think the fact that animals cant sue or kick up so much of a ruckus when they are treated badly means our selfishness keeps them excluded from the 'group'.

definately interesting stuff phily. it is interesting to look at what tragities make news, it seems we still have a long way to go before all human lives will be valued equally.

yes i agree!

Re: Belonging
 

It depends on how you view the level or relationship/interaction between similar and dissimilar organisms. For example, if you take the view that animals are better life forms and become a vegetarian plants will therefore be the ones feeling the impact. A more extreme doctrine would be that all life is not to be harmed. Then what? Survival will be questioned.

1. Yes it will be an obstacle. However, most "people" need to identify with some group etc as they are too weak to stand on their own.
Changing one's way of thinking is not the only required to prevent conflict.

2. Progress: Further than the pitiful shells of humanity with occasional sparks of brilliance which exist now. There are too many with the mob mentality. Even those that believe they are not into the grouping are in some way making up another group, so the trend will be a bit difficult to distinguish.

Re: Re: Belonging
 

Isn't that why were all here?

I recently had a similar discussion with a couple of die-hard football fans. I think it boils down to that die-hard football fans are just morons.

Football meaning the American one right? :D

I don't know how people react in america to people from different parts but here it's ridiculous. Eg in a chatroom,
* someone enters
<football fan> a/s/l? (bad enough as it is)
<someone> 16/m/liverpool
<football fan> LIVERPOOL SCUM
<someone> huh?
<football fan> LIVERPOOL ARE SHIT, MAN U, MAN U, CHAMPIONS
<someone> oh right football, i don't follow football
<football fan> yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, champions champions
* I ban myself and vow never to return

Personally, I think we (humans) are suffocatingly arrogant when it comes to everything else on the planet. We exploit everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If there was any justice, a comet would wipe everything out and let the earth start afresh. Any race that can invent Macdonalds must be evil.

Also, I'm a meat eater, but I DETEST the way they coat chicken in breadcrumbs and shape them like dinosaurs or aircraft!!!!!!! It's one thing to eat a chicken, quite another to serve it up to kids like this.